Fidelia Soriwei, Abuja
The Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) has announced the departure of 54 postgraduate scholarship beneficiaries to the United Kingdom to pursue higher education in various universities, according to a statement issued on Saturday by the Special Assistant on Media to the PAP Administrator, Mr Igoniko Oduma.
Oduma said the scholars departed from Abuja and arrived in London on Friday to commence studies in fields considered critical to national and regional development.
He explained that the beneficiaries were among 150 students who participated in a pre-departure orientation programme in August following their deployment by the PAP Administrator, Dr Dennis Brutu Otuaro.
The latest deployment brings the total number of offshore postgraduate scholarship beneficiaries sponsored by the programme this year to 243.
According to the statement, the students will undertake courses in software engineering, cyber security, global public health, oil and gas engineering, law, fintech analytics, construction engineering management, forensic audit and data science analytics, among others.
Oduma said Otuaro advised the beneficiaries to remain committed to their studies and serve as worthy ambassadors of Nigeria and the Niger Delta while abroad.
The PAP administrator also urged them to obey the laws of their host country and comply with the regulations of their respective institutions.
He stressed that the students were expected to return home after completing their programmes and contribute to community development and nation-building.
According to Otuaro, “Education is the vehicle for the socio-economic advancement and sustainable peace and stability of the Niger Delta.
“Investing in the education of the youths of the region is a sure way of guaranteeing a greater and better tomorrow for the region.”
The statement said Otuaro attributed the scale of the overseas scholarship deployments to the support received by the Presidential Amnesty Programme and also acknowledged the contributions of the Office of the National Security Adviser and other stakeholders.
He said, “We express our profound appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his massive support for the programme. Without his strong backing, the huge deployments would not have been possible.
“We are also very grateful to the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, for his efficient supervision, deep insights and professional input that have helped the programme.”
